


The Proposal

by TwenyThree



Category: Women's Soccer RPF
Genre: F/F, Prompt from movie
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-15
Updated: 2016-06-25
Packaged: 2018-06-08 12:08:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 15,017
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6854020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TwenyThree/pseuds/TwenyThree
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Christen Press - successful editor in chief for big company</p>
<p>Tobin Heath- assistant that has big dreams of being editor</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter Uno

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry if it's bad?

**TOBIN’S POV**

 

“Oh shit!” I say as I spring out of my bed. I'm not even sure how my alarm didn't go off. Five years. For five years I've been waking up at the same time and somehow I still have to rely on my alarm clock to do the job for me.  I quickly get up and race to find my clothes that I forgot to have set up for today. 

 

‘ _ Okay where's my shirt at _ ’ I check the cabinet and luckily I have a clean one ready to go.  I put that on then a pair of pants that i had to iron the best i could. I do a full 360 in my room looking for my shoes and when I find them under my night desk I   throw them on too. Keys, check. Shirt, check. Wallet, check. Okay good. I hurriedly lock my door and sprint down the stairs. 

 

“See ya later , mark!” I shout at the guy who runs the front desk. 

 

I squeeze my way through all the people walking on the streets and make my way to stop #1.  Two minutes of jogging the best I can and I'm at the Starbucks around the corner. I literally want to scream when I see how long the line is.  _ People swear like it's Beyoncé hand making their coffee.  _ Now if that were the case, I would totally understand the size of the line.  Sometimes I forget how crowded and crazy it is to live in New York. 

 

“hey , Tobin! I got your usual ready.”  One of the workers, Lauren , says as she places my order on the counter with a huge smile on her face. We have known each other for a while now because I come here everyday at the exact time which obviously comes in handy. And I'm not that oblivious, I  know she likes me and she is cute and all but with the job I have I do not have time to be seeing people. 

 

“Oh my gosh. Thanks Lauren, you are literally a lifesaver” I grab the coffees from her hands and in record time I'm out the door and making my way to Full Books Inc. Thankfully, it's only a street away from Starbucks or else I would be screwed. 

 

“excuse me, sorry!” I feel bad as I push through all the people to make it to the elevators once I've entered the building.  But hey, when you have a boss like mine, you're gonna be in a hurry too. 

 

Stepping inside the elevator, i sigh in relief because I'm almost there.  _ Just get this day over with  _ even though it just started like 30 minutes ago. 

 

“Hey what's the time?” I ask the man standing beside me in the filled elevator. 

 

“7:20” 

 

‘ _ Yes! Ten minutes to spare. Not bad Heath, not bad _ ’ I think to myself. Mentally giving myself a fist bump. 

 

I know some people might think that I take this job way too serious,  but I think since I work for probably one of the most respected women in the state, I need to be this on point with everything. 

 

_ Ping!   _ the elevator door opens and I rush out so i can have all of my files ready and organized before  _ she  _ gets here. Before I can even realize what is happening , Fred, the delivery guy runs into me , spilling all of my boss’s coffee on my white button up shirt. 

 

“Dammit! Are you serious right now?” I shout. I know it's not his fault. It's actually mine and any other day I would feel bad about getting his shirt stained too, but today is definitely not one of those day. 

 

I should not be stressing out this much and now I have to find a way to get out of this shirt because if my boss sees me in this , I am never going to hear the end of it.   _ Why are you doing this to me, God? _

 

_ Ugh  _ I speed walk over to one of my closest friends at the office. I notice that on my way to her desk people are giving me the look that says ‘oh shit you're in trouble’ while glancing down at my ruined shirt.

 

“Ashlyn I need you to switch shirts” I rush out

 

“What? Are you serious?” she looks at me as if I should be joking. 

 

“Yankees. Boston. this Tuesday. Two company seats for your shirt.   
You have five seconds to decide.

Five , four , three, two , one.” 

 

___________________________________

 

Stepping out of the bathroom with my newly dressed white button up, i wait near the special elevator made just for the boss. I think that giving her a personal elevator was a bit  _ too _ much but she says that the last thing she needs is to be stuck in a elevator with people who don't know what proper hygiene is.

 

_ Speaking of the devil . _ The elevator door opens and there she is.  _ Christen Press.  _ The woman who has put so much stress on me and who has given me so many restless nights.

 

She stays typing furiously on her phone , not even realizing that the elevator has opened. I take this time to observe her . She is wearing a black and white business suit and her perfectly straightened hair is tied up in the best ponytail I've even seen, it almost looks painful. Her face is void of wrinkles , which is understandable because she is only 27 after all. Her skin tone always get me wondering how it's so perfectly tanned because my guess is that someone like her does not go out a lot, especially to the beach. 

 

“Good Morning , miss Press” I say just to let her know the door has opened . 

 

“Where's my coffee?” She asks completely ignoring my greeting. I give her the coffee and then tell her the rundown of all her missed calls. She starts her stride to her office , walking with so much confidence that if she told you that she had access to the United States confidential files, you'd probably believe her. 

 

“You have a conference call in 30 minutes.” 

 

“Yes, I know” she says distractingly , still typing on her phone. 

 

“You also have a staff meeting at nine” 

 

“Did you call...what her name? The one with the terrible sense of fashion?” 

 

“Jessica.” I remind her 

 

“Yes, jessica. Did you call her?” 

 

“I did. I told her that if she   
doesn't get her manuscript in on time   
You won't give her a release date.” 

I try to remember all the other calls I reviewed while in the elevator. 

 

“Oh! Your immigration lawyer called.   
He said it's imperative - “

 

“Cancel the call” she says with a definite tone. 

 

I furrow my eyebrows and give her a curious look , even though it's pointless because she's not looking.  Ignoring a call from an immigration lawyer doesn't really seem like a good thing to do.  Obviously i want to keep my job though, so I don't tell her anything.

 

We make our way into her huge office and she sits in her recliner chair , instantly turning on her laptop and reading all of her emails. I stand there semi awkwardly because usually she tells me what to do but right now she seems kinda busy with the email she's reading. When I was gonna say something,  I see a small smile appear on her face and honestly I'm kinda surprised because a smile from her is pretty rare. She puts her coffee down her clear crystal table and claps her hand In applaud for herself. 

 

“I just got our best Writer to do an interview with Ellen” 

 

“John?” I ask , impressed. John is kind of an older guy. He was a really good writer in his days , but he's incredibly stubborn now.   He hates doing things like interviews because .. Well no one really knows why . I think that's it's because he's your average ‘ _ I hate you hooligans and the shenanigans you do now a days’  _ type of guy , but that's just my thought. 

 

“With that being said, we're going to pay Daniel a little visit” she then finishes a message I assume she is typing in response to John. Daniel is another ‘boss’ In a way. He's just been here for a long time and has a lot of experience so he’s second behind Press. Kind of like a soon to be Editor In Chief. 

 

While she is getting up she grabs her cup of coffee from her table  and then looks at me with stern eyes. 

 

“Who is Lauren?  and why does she want me to call her?”  

 

I feel a slight blush creep up to my face because  _ that _ definitely wasn't something I want my boss to see. And now I'm going to have to explain myself. 

 

“Oh. Well you see, that was originally my coffee.”  I reply lamely. 

 

“And why am I drinking your coffee?” She doesn't look mad just curious. So that's a good sign. She's probably still in a good mood about the Ellen thing. 

 

“Funny story, I actually spilled yours … But it's okay! Because i happen to drink the same order as you.” Now she's judging me because she tilts her head then squints her eyes. She sighs, gets up, and then walks out , making her way to what I'm guessing is Daniel's office. I get the hint and follow closely behind. 

 

“It seems pretty pathetic to force your daily coffee order just so you could have a backup in case you spilled my order.” She says without much emotion. As if it didn't hurt that she called my idea, which I thought was pretty smart, pathetic. I would try to explain myself but I know it's pointless. 

 

Considering that it's right down the hall, Within seconds we're at Daniel's office and man I feel sorry for him because Press does not look too friendly right now. 

 

“Ahh Miss Press. Please come in” he greets nicely. 

 

“This will only take a second. Daniel, You're fired. Now I'm going to go.” She says calmly while making her way to the door we just interested  _ 20 seconds  _ ago. She said it as if this wasn't a big deal that she was firing him. I'm surprised because yeah I know she was pissed at him but I mean.. Firing him? Cut him some slack, right? 

 

She walks into the hallway and I'm about to follow but daniel pushes me out of the way to get to the hallway too.  _ Jerk _ . 

 

“Pardon me?” He practically yells , creating a scene in front everybody that works on this floor.  Press simply rolls her eyes and turns around as casually as ever. 

 

“I told you to get John to do Ellen. Three months. I gave you three months to convince him, you failed. I called him yesterday and he agreed. I know you haven't even tried to convince him and I get that. If you want to be lazy, congratulations you can be lazy 24/7 now because you have no more job.”

 

I look at Daniel and boy does he look mad. He actually looks like he's about to say something back.  _ Oh crap , don't do it daniel. Don't do it.  _

 

“You poisonous bitch!” I cringe when he says this because this isn't going to end well for him. 

 

“ You can't fire me! Just because you don't have a life does not mean you can order us around like your personal slaves! You know what? I feel sorry for you. Because you know what you're going to have on your deathbed? Nothing and No one.” He sneers at her. 

 

_ Damn.  _ I mean I think everybody hates her but what he said was like taking it to whole other level. Not cool, man. That even made me feel sorry for her. 

 

I notice that she looks really sad. But only for a second and I don't think anyone even noticed. Just as quickly as it was there, her usual ‘Don't mess with me’ face is in place. 

 

“Listen, Daniel. You're lazy, entitled, incompetent. The list can go on. You do no work here and have no use for anyone or anything. If only you were half as good at your job as you are being a waste of time. Now I am going to go and if you say another word I will have you kicked out along with your stuff. Tobin let's go.” 

With that she is walking back to her office. I quickly keep up with her pace, looking back to see Daniel's reaction. He looks red with anger and like he wants to say something. If he were smart, he wouldn't. Especially because everyone knows Miss Press takes her threats seriously. 

 

“Now that Daniel is fired, I need help doing his assignments that are suppose to be finished this weekend”

 

“Oh. This weekend?” It's a stupid question, I know, because she literally just said this weekend but I kind of had things to do. 

 

“Yes.” She says with no room for argument. And then as if remembering that I am actually a human and have a social life she looks at me and says. 

 

“Do you have plans?” 

 

“No… Well it's just - it's my grandma's 90th birthday. But it's okay I'll skip. You're saving me from a weekend of misery anyway.” Besides it wasn't official that I was going, I was just considering it. I haven't seen my family in almost two years and I guess it would have been nice to see them but then I think about my dad … And yeah I don't feel like going anymore. 

 

“I didn't ask to hear your feelings.” She says. 

 

I was going to apologize but luckily the phone starts ringing and I go to pick it up. 

 

“Miss Press’ office. Okay, I'll let her know.” I turn to Press and she's looking at me with a raised eyebrow because usually calls aren't that short. 

 

“That was Malloy. He want to see you in his office.” 

 

She sighs in annoyance and get a up from the chair , straightening her shirt. While she is making her way to the door she turns and says

 

“Come get me in town minutes.”  Then , just like that,  she's out the door. 

 

___________________________________

  
  


**CHRISTEN’S POV**

 

I push through the glass door, already rolling my eyes in annoyance when I see Malloy's cheesy smile. I can't believe this guy is my boss. Well technically he is my supervisor. Which still doesn't even make sense. 

 

“Good Morning, Malloy.” I make sure to use my fake smile because the last thing I need is to give him a reason to talk to me more than he needs to. 

 

“Good Morning Miss Press. Congratulations on getting John to do 

Ellen.” 

 

I feel a sense of pride go through me because I only just got John to agree not only thirty minutes ago and apparently the story is already spreading through the office. 

 

“So I should be expecting a raise then?” I'm only being half serious though. I find it incredible that I even  _ have _ to ask for a raise. Being the best and talented in this office, I would think that raises were expected. 

 

“Miss press, I'm going to be frank. Remember that time when I warned you not to go to Germany? Even if it meant not signing the deal with that new and upcoming writer. I advised you that it was an unwise decision to make while your visa was being processed. But you went anyway. Do you remember?” 

 

I roll my eyes because this is a waste of time. If I needed someone to remind me of what I did last month then I just would've gotten my assistant to do it. 

 

“Yes.”

 

“Well I just got off the phone with your immigration attorney -”

 

“Great so everything is settled then.” I straighten my back and put my hand on the door handle, ready to leave. 

 

“Christen your Visa is being declined. You're being deported.” I'm quiet for a few seconds. Staring at his old tired face trying to figure out if for some reason he is playing a joke. He is looking at me with the most serious face I've ever seen from him and that's when I know he means it. 

 

“Deported?” I exclaim loudly. Maybe a bit too loudly because he looks surprised by my outburst. 

 

“Cmon!” I continue , “it's not even like I'm an immigrant! I'm from Canada for Christ's sake.” There is no way this is happening. 

 

“Look, Christen, if there was anything I could do I would , but unfortunately it's going to take a year to reapply and in that time you cannot work for an American company.” He folds his hands on the table. 

 

“I beg you. Please, there's got to be someth-” while I'm mid beg, the door to Malloy’s office swings open and my assistant's head pops out. 

 

“Sorry to interrupt.”

 

“ _ What?!”  _  I whisper yell at her because I told her to come get me in ten minutes and this has definitely not been ten minutes. 

 

“Mary from Ms. DeGeneres’ office called. I have her on hold.” 

 

“ _ So?”  _ I practically ask through gritted teeth. 

 

“I know, I'm sorry. I told her that you were engaged in a meeting but she keeps insisting.” 

 

_ Engaged.  _ That word rings through my head and gets me thinking _.  _  Bingo. That's it! That's my solution. I turn to Tobin and mouth ‘Come over here’ motioning my head to stand next to me. 

 

She looks absolutely confused and furrows her eyebrows together but she does as she's told and stands awkwardly next to me. I turn back to Malloy who still has his hands clasped together, and i say, 

 

“ Malloy, I understand the predicament we're in. And there's… Well I think there is something you should know.” 

 

Malloy leans forward because I got his attention. Tobin still looks awkward standing next to me. I turn to her and give her the best smile I can muster up. She looks even more confused if that's possible. 

I ignore her confused face anyway and scoot closer to her and put my arm around her shoulder , giving her one final look. Then I turn back to Malloy. 

 

“We're getting married.”

 

 


	2. Chapter dos

**TOBIN’S POV**

 

“We're getting married.” 

 

I look at my boss, who has her arm awkwardly placed on my shoulder and then back at Malloy who looks just as lost as i probably do.  Did she just say someone is getting married? 

 

I furrow my eyebrows. “Who's getting married?” 

 

She looks at me and gives me what I assume is a smile and a nudge on my shoulder. “You and I. You and I are getting married! Yay!” The way she says it sounds so forced and fake. Kind of the same way you would act when your aunt gives you a present  that you hate but you have to be polite so you act like you love it.  And her voice was so high pitch I literally cringed. 

 

 _Wait! Hold on._  Woah did she just say what I think she said. She's joking, _right?_ _Me and_ _her?_ _Married??_ I can't believe she just said that.  

 

I mean she can't be talking about us, right? That's … So many things. Confusing, Gross, Nasty, ew. 

 

“We're getting married….?” I mumble out because I'm shocked and  _ really _ confused about what's even going on. 

 

Malloy looks at me and then at Press probably trying to figure out what the hell is going on. Finally he let's out a short laugh as if this is the stupidest thing he's heard all day. Hell, It's the stupidest thing  _ I've _ heard in my  _ life _ . 

 

“Isn't she your secretary?” He raises an eyebrow. 

 

“Executive assistant.” I say defensively , forgetting the situation I'm in. I just hate when people call me secretary because no, I'm not a secretary I'm an   _ executive  _ assistant.  

 

“Yes, well” Press claps her hand to regain our attention and  _ oh yea I forgot that we're supposedly ‘getting married’.  _ She clears her throat and continues. “The truth is, Tobin and I we're… We are just two people who weren't suppose to fall in love but we did.” 

 

“No.” I say under my breath. No this is not happening. I don't even know  _ what _ is happening but it's just not happening. 

 

Press apparently isn't done feeding the lies because she continues. “..all those late nights at the office and weekend book fairs...”

 

Late nights? I mean yeah we spent a lot of late nights and a lot of weekend book fairs together but ew. I would never , never date  _ her.  _ Let alone marry her. Why would I torture myself like that.

 

“Something happened.” She goes on. “We tried to fight it… But .. You can't.. You can't fight a love like ours. So..” She , once again puts her arm around my shoulders. She gives a little squeeze and it makes me want to push her off . 

 

“No.” I say again, under my breath. No one can hear me because I'm saying it so light but  _ what is she doing?  _

 

_ “ _ Christen.” Malloy says sternly. He looks between the both of us and then he gets up from his chair and walks around his desk so he can lean on the front. He looks at us, and I mean  _ really _ looks at us. It's dead silent and no one moves , I don't even breathe because for a second I think he is actually gonna fire both of us and I wouldn't even know why. If he believes this story then he must be the biggest idiot because there is no way you can believe that me and  _ Her  _ are together. I mean just by looking at us you can tell. She is practically as far as she could be from me, with her arm around my shoulder. This does not say ‘soon to be married.’ It says ‘help.’

 

Finally, Malloy claps his hands together which startles me from my thoughts and a huge smile forms on his face. 

 

“That's fantastic!”  _ yeah he's an idiot.  _ He pushes off the desk he was leaning on and puts his arms around  both of our bodies, hugging us. Then he pulls back and looks both of us in the eye. “Just make it legal.” He points to his ring finger and wiggles it dramatically. 

 

Press forces out a fake laugh and playfully punches my arm. “Yes well, I guess we better get going. Make our way to the immigration office to sort this mess out.”  _ immigration office? Mess? _ She looks at him and says “thank you.” then she turns to me and nods her head toward to the door. I slowly open it, still trying to process everything that just happened. 

 

As we're walking down the hall, everyone is whispering and pointing at us. Some of them are shaking their heads in disgust and others are smirking. As I pass by Ashlyn, she gives me a smirk and nods towards Press.  _ Oh. _ So everybody knows about the stunt that happened in Malloy's office. It doesn't surprise me, gossip in this building spreads so fast because of how bored everyone usually is. I swallow the lump that's in my now dry throat.  _ We definitely need to talk. _

 

Once we've entered her office I stand near the closed door wondering how to even ask what the hell that was all about. Press, on the other hand, just walks behind her desk and takes a seat on her chair. 

 

I dont know what i was expecting to happen as soon as we got in her office, but an explanation was for sure on the list. She was thinking the complete opposite i guess because she doesn't even look up from her laptop that she just started typing on.

 

I clear my throat so she can look at me and when she looks up she actually looks surprised that I'm still there.

 

“What?” she asks looking really bored and disinterested.  _ What do you mean ‘what’? _

 

“I don't understand what's happening.”

 

She scoffs at this, “Relax. This is for you too.” 

 

Now it's my turn to scoff. “Please ,explain.” I don't see how any of  _ this _ is going to help me in anyway. 

 

“They were going to take away my visa which means I wouldn't be able to work here.” 

 

“So?”  _ That actually sounds like a good deal to me.  _

 

“So, they were going to give my position to Daniel. The Daniel I just fired.” 

 

“So naturally, I would have to marry you?” Sarcasm evident in my voice.  _ This lady is on crack.  _

 

A short laugh escapes her mouth and she looks at me with a raised eyebrow. “What? Like you were saving yourself for someone special?” Ouch.  _ Um okay , screw you.  _

 

 _“_ I would like to think so, yeah. Besides it's illegal.” 

 

“That doesn't matter.”  _ Nevermind, she must be on something stronger than crack. _

 

 I look at her seriously and take a deep breath. 

 

“Christen.” I hope she realizes how serious I am because I never use her name. “I'm not gonna marry you.”  _ I can't believe I even have to say that to her. _

 

“Of course you are.” She sounds so certain, it infuriates me. “Because if you don't, Daniel is going to fire you the second he's in my position. That means all those times I made you stay late after work, be here early, the lattes, the canceled dates, would all be for nothing. And your dream of one day being an editor are gone. So like it or not, you're marrying me. But don't worry, after the required allotment of time, we'll get a divorce and you'll be done with me.” She pauses to take a gasp of air and then opens up her emails.

 

“Ok?” She looks back at me like I have no choice and  _ dammit I hate her. _ I hate her because she knows the one thing I want in this world is to be an editor and she knows I'd do anything for it. That's the only reason I'm still working for her after all these years.  

 

The phone starts ringing from my little cubicle just outside her office. She nods her head to door, “are you gonna get that?” Then she's back to pretending I'm not there. 

 

I turn on my heels and let out a huge breath , trying to relieve all the anger inside me.  _ God, help me.  _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I appreciated the comments (: so thanks for those


	3. Chapter tres

**CHRISTEN POV**

 

So after the crazy fiasco that went down in Malloy's office. I had Tobin clear all of my meetings for the rest of the day so we can make our way over to the immigration office and get this over with. I don't get why she's so mad about this. It's not like she was dating anyone in the first place. Or like she would be in the next year. If anything she should be impressed with my quick thinking to get me out of this. 

 

Right now we're waiting in the room we were told to enter. We end up waiting in here for like ten minutes in complete silence before a guy dressed in a  tie comes in through the door looking stressed and tired. I hear Tobin mumble “I have a bad feeling about this” from behind me and I turn around to give her a glare. The last thing I need is for her to mess everything up for me. 

 

The guy turns to face both of us and gives us a smile. “Hi, I'm Mr. Gilbertson. And you must be….?” He sticks his hand out, which I shake.

 

“Christen Press. This is Tobin heath” I nod my head in her direction. He shakes her hand too and then walks to his desk and picks up a file that was sitting there. “Sorry for the wait. It's a busy day today.” 

 

“No, it's okay. We completely understand.” 

 

He opens the file, plops down on his chair, and reads the first thing he sees.  Then he looks back at us. He puts the file down and then stands up with his hands on his desk.

 

“So. I have a question.” He takes his gaze away from me and directs his look at Tobin while he asks the question. 

 

“Are you both committing fraud to avoid her being deported and to make sure she remains her position working at Full Books?” Gone is his friendly smile he had when he first walked in here. Now he looks stern and strict. 

 

I hear Tobin gulp and say “That's ridiculous”

 

“Where did you hear that?” I ask right after. 

 

Mr. Gilbertson sighs and says, “We got an anonymous tip this morning from a guy named Daniel Sanchez.”  _ Of course.  _

 

A laugh escapes my mouth because I can picture that pathetic guy calling the Immigration office, trying to ruin my life.  _ Nice try. _

 

“I'm sorry for that. Daniel is just a sad former employee who was probably just trying to get back at me. I apologize for that. And I know that you're really busy so if you can just give us the next step we have to do, then we can be out of your office and on our way.” 

 

I just want to leave as soon as possible. Because quite frankly I have better things I need to do, and I feel like Tobin being too quiet is making it obvious that something is up. My thoughts are interrupted by a chuckle. 

 

“Miss Press. Let me tell you how this is going to happen. Step one, you will be scheduled an interview. I'll put you each in a separate room and ask you both a series of questions that a married couple should know about each other. Step two, I dig deeper. I look at your phone records, I ask neighbors about you, I talk to your family.” He looks back and forth between me and Tobin, taking a small pause, probably waiting for one of us to give up and spill. When we don't he continues. 

 

“If at any point, your answers don't match up, then you,” he points at me and gives a smirk, “Will be deported immediately. And you,” he points at Tobin, ”Will have committed a felony punishable by a fine of $250,000 and five years in federal prison.” 

 

He claps his hands like this is fun for him and then turns his full attention to Tobin. “So, Miss Heath, do … You wanna talk to me? Tell me something?” 

 

Tobin's eyes were wide, kind of like a deer. She looked like she was thinking about a million things at once because she seemed spaced out. Or maybe she wasn't thinking about anything. Whichever one it is, she starts to shake her head side to side. 

 

“No?” Mr Gilbertson asks

 

This time Tobin looks up from the floor and at him but then quickly looks at me then back to the floor. She starts to nod her head up and down. 

 

“Yes?” Mr. Gilbertson asks. 

 

She clears her throat and then looks stares at him. “Look, the truth is…. Mr. Gilbertson… The truth is …” 

 

Now I widen my eyes because she's not actually gonna tell him, is she? 

 

“Christen and I… We're just two people… Who weren't suppose to fall in love. But did.”

 

I let out a small sigh of relief. Tobin looks at me quickly and I see a smirk start to form on her mouth before she continues. 

 

“We couldn't tell people about our love because of my promotion.” 

 

Gilbertson raises an eyebrow, “promotion?” 

 

“Yes, we both thought it would be inappropriate to be promoted to... editor. While seeing each other.” she says, her smirk still in place. 

 

_ Editor? _ That's genius! It's totally believable that we wouldn't tell anyone about ‘us’ because I was gonna promote her. I have to admit, that was a good one. Not bad.

 

Mr. Gilbertson huffs, probably disappointed that Tobin didn't admit that this was fake. “So… Have the two of you told any of your family about your secret love?” 

 

I shake my head. “No uh that's not possible, my parents are dead.” 

 

“Hm. Are your parents dead?” He asks Tobin. I answer for her because if there's one thing I know, it's this and I need it to look believable that I know everything about her. 

 

“Hers are very much alive. And actually, it's grandma's 90th birthday this weekend. We were planning on telling them there. You know, with the whole family being there, we just thought it'd be a nice little surprise.” I look over at Tobin who looks shocked that I even remembered that she told me about her grandma this morning. But then her face changes and now she looks kind of mad at me. 

 

“And where is this ‘surprise’ taking place?” Mr. Gilbertson persists. 

 

_ Crap. _ I don't think Tobin mentioned that part. I chuckle nervously. “Why am I doing all the talking? It's  _ your _ parents house” I say to her. 

 

She clears her throat “Sitka.” 

 

I nod my head in fake confidence. “Yeah, Sitka” I repeat her. I've never heard of it but it's probably one of those little towns in Montana or something. 

 

She does this thing that's somewhere between a scoff and a chuckle , then says “Alaska.”  _ woah what _

 

“Let me get this straight, you guys are going to Alaska this weekend?” 

 

I glance at Tobin quickly to make sure she isn't joking. I clear my throat. “Yes, we're going to … Alaska. That's where.. That's where my little Tobin is from. Alaska.”  _ What the hell? She's from Alaska? _

 

“Fine. I see how this is gonna go.” Mr. Gilbertson rips off a little yellow sticky note from his desk and starts to scribble on it. “I will see you both at 11 on Monday morning for your interview.” He hands me the note and before I can grab it he pulls away slightly. “Your answers better match up.” Then he places it in my hand, stands up and makes his way out the door.

 

What a weirdo. 

___________________________________

 

When we step out of the building I feel both exhausted and happy. I whip out my phone and see that I have thirteen emails. I stop walking so I can respond quickly to one of the emails and then I look up to see that Tobin is standing in front of me looking down at the ground. I wave my hand in front of her face to gain her attention. 

 

“So here's what's going to happen. We will both go up there, pretend that we're girlfriend and girlfriend, and then tell your parents we're engaged.” 

 

I continue to walk in the direction of the car that my driver is waiting in but then I remember something and stop again. “Oh and make sure you confirm the vegan meal. Last time I ordered the vegan meal, they actually gave it to a vegan. And I had to eat some clammy, gross soup thing.” 

 

I look back at her, expecting to see her typing furiously on her phone but instead she's just standing there. What's her problem? “Hey.” I say sharply. “Why aren't you taking notes?” 

 

She dramatically puts her hands to her chest as if to say ‘are you talking to me?’ Then she speaks. “I'm sorry.” She says sarcastically. “Were you not in that room?” 

 

_ Yeah, I was obviously in the room _ .I don't get Why she is so upset. Oh! Is it because she wants praise on the whole ‘promotion idea’?

 

“What? The thing you said about being promoted? Genius! He actually fell for it.” 

 

Tobin groans extremely loud and then puts her hand on her hips. “I was serious. I'm looking at a $250,00 fine and five years in prison. That changes things.” 

 

What? She's actually serious? I can't help the laugh that slips out of me. “Promotion to be editor?” I ask while laughing. “No way.” That's crazy. 

 

Tobin just shrugs and kind of looks a bit relieved. “Fine, then I quit and you're screwed.” She turns around a waves at me without looking. “Bye-bye Christen.” 

 

_ What a jerk _ . I can't believe she would just leave me in a situation like this. She knows I need her help. Dammit. “Wait!” I yell, and I inwardly cringe because I never thought I'd see myself have to beg to someone. Let alone, her. She turns around and I sigh in  defeat.

 

“Fine. Fine, I'll do it. I'll make you editor if you do Alaska this weekend and the interview.” 

 

“Good. And not in two years, it has to be right away.” 

 

“Fine.”

 

“Annnnd you'll publish my manuscript.” I nod my head slowly because I can't believe my assistant is bossing me around. I speak lowly so Tobin won't hear.

 

“Yeah, ten thousand copies first-

 

“Twenty thousand copies first run.” She booms loudly. _Oo_ _She's pushing it._ “And we'll tell my parent when I want, how I want.” 

 

She puts her hand in her pockets and then smirks at me. “Now….. Ask me nicely.”

 

I'm sorry, did I miss something? “ ‘Ask you nicely’ what?”

 

“Ask me nicely to marry you, Christen.” 

 

“What does that even mean?”

 

“You heard me. On your knees.”  _ definitely pushing it. _ She's joking right? I look around and there's all kinds of people walking out in the streets. I close my eyes and let out a breath, trying to control my anger.

 

“Fine.” I grit out. I slowly get down to the ground, almost tipping over because of the heels I'm wearing. Once I'm on both knees I look up to see Tobin laughing at me. 

 

“Oh is this funny to you?” 

 

“It is, yeah. I like this.” She says, folding her arms across her chest. 

 

_ Just get this over with. _ There's already a lot of people looking at me, probably wondering how crazy you have to be to get down on the dirty, crowded sidewalk of New York City. 

 

I take another deep breath and then rush out, “Will you marry me?” looking at the street sign behind Tobin. 

 

Not even a breath after I ask, Tobin answers “No.” 

 

I look up at her and glare. Did I not just do what she asked? 

 

She smirks again and says, “Say it like you mean it.” 

 

Jesus, Christ. Why did I even hire her in the first place? She's such a pain.

 

I give her sarcastic smile and pat my hand on her knee.

 

“Tobin.” I say in a fake lovingly voice. “Sweet, sweet Tobin. Will you please, with cherries on top, do me the honor of marrying me?” 

 

“Hmm. I don't appreciate the sarcasm but Okay. I'll do it.” 

 

She takes a couple of steps backwards then adds, “I'll see you at the airport.” And with a smirk she turns around and walks away. Leaving me to struggle and having to get up from the floor by myself. 

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haha shoutout to that person who said something about my fic on tumblr


	4. Chapter Cuatro

**TOBIN'S POV**

 

I toss and turn for what seems like the twentieth time since I got on the plane. By now people are probably annoyed by me because I'm making a lot of noise but I can't help that I'm so exhausted. I had to wake up extra early today so I can pick up Christen from her apartment and then help her carry her  _ many _ luggage bags in the car I had parked  _ two blocks _ away because of traffic. Then when we made it to the airport, I had to unload all of her  _ many _ luggage bags and now I can't even get comfortable on the stupid seat. 

 

“Can you stop moving for like two seconds?” Christen hisses at me. 

 

“Not my fault. Maybe if someone hadn't decided to pack all of China’s population then I wouldn't be having back problems.” 

I don't even have to look at her to know that she is rolling her eyes.

 

This is probably gonna be the longest  airplane ride of my life  but I might as well  make use of it. So I pull out my folder with the newly printed pages waiting inside. Last night I did research on what to expect in our interview from Mr. Gilbertson and found a list of questions that are usually asked. I made sure to print them out so that Christen can study everything that she can about me these next few days. That's if I can even get her to try to pay attention to something that doesn't involve her for once.

 

I quickly skim through the folder to make sure that I have all the pages then I turn a little so I could face her direction. 

 

“Alright, these are the questions that the INS is gonna ask us. Now the good news is that I know all this about you, the bad thing is that you have four days to learn all this about me.” 

 

She stares at the folder with a shocked expression. As if it is going to attack her or something, she hesitantly takes it from my hands.  She scans through the questions on the front and flips the page.  “You know all the answers to these questions about me?” 

 

“Scary, isn't it?” Unfortunately spending the last three years working for her meant that I had to know almost everything about her to make sure she is never dissatisfied. 

 

“Yeah, a little bit.” She's still reading all of the questions and then she randomly points at one and reads it out loud. “What am I allergic to?” 

 

_ Easy _ . “Pine nuts.” 

 

Christen nods her head, looking impressed that I answered so quickly. Well that's a first.  _ Oh _ that reminds me. 

 

“and the full spectrum of human emotion.” 

 

“Oh wow… Ha… That was a good one. So funny.” She claps her hands in sarcasm. 

 

It's quiet for the next minute or so. Christen just keeps reading the questions with her eyebrows furrowed in concentration. She bumps my shoulders and then says “Here's a good one. Do I have any scars?” 

 

Hmm that one's tough. “I'm pretty sure you have a tattoo.” A small smirk appears on my face when I see her eyes widen a bit.

 

“You're pretty sure?” 

 

“Yeah, I'm pretty sure. Two years ago your dermatologist called and asked about a Q-switched laser. I, of course, Googled a Q-switched laser and found that they remove tattoos. But you canceled your appointment.” 

 

Christen glares at me and it just makes me feel that much more smug. 

 

“So,” I say  “What is it? Tribal ink? Japanese calligraphy?”  I mock a gasp and whisper “Barbed wire?” 

 

It’s kind of weird to be acting like this around her now. Usually I have to be alert, focused and stressed out about something. Now I can kind of just … Be me. I mean it's not like she is going to, or can for that matter, fire me. 

 

“You know, it's exciting for me to see you like this.” She says sarcastically in a happy voice. 

 

“Thank you. You're gonna have to tell me where it is though.” 

 

Now she's back at glaring at me. “No I don't.”

 

“They're gonna ask.”  

 

“We're done with that question.” She snaps.  _ Woah touchy subject I guess. _

 

I don't mean to do it, but on instinct my face morphs into shock, because I wasn't expecting her to change moods that quickly. I think Christen mistakes my shocked face for a hurt one, because when she looks at me her own features soften and I could've sworn I heard her mumble a ‘sorry’. Before I can even question it, she's already talking.  _ That was weird. _

  
  


“Anyways… On to Another Question.” She lifts the folder in front of her face to find one that catches her eye. “Oh , Here's another one. Whose place do we stay at, yours or  mine? That's easy. Mine.” 

 

“ And why wouldn't we stay at mine?”

 

She instantly laughs which makes me frown. “Because I live at Central Park West. And you probably live at some squalid little studio apartment.”   
  


Unbelievable. Right when she shows one sign of kindness towards me, she has to go and do this. I hate when she acts like she knows everything about everyone. If she thinks she knows anything about me then she better watch out before I - 

 

_ Ping!   “ _ Ladies and gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts. We are beginning our descent into Juneau.” 

 

I close my eyes for a second and just breathe trying to calm myself down. Just four days. I can do this. 

 

“Juneau? I thought we were going to Sitka.” Christen asks. 

 

“We are.” I grumble 

 

“Well then how are we getting to Sitka?” 

 

I don't even bother answering her. She just had to go and piss me off. I pull out my earphones from my pocket and slip them on hoping that I don't have to talk to her anymore.  _ Why me. _

 

____________________________________

 

When I get off the plane, I feel the most free I've ever been.  Being cramped in a plane next to Christen is  _ not _ a good way to start this trip. I carry my two small bags of luggage along with three of Christen’s and climb down the stairs to get on ground level. When my feet touch the floor I feel both satisfied and relieved. I look up and let my eyes readjust to the new sunlight. Right when things start to clear up, I make out the figures of my grandma and my mom. 

 

“Oh look! There she is!” I hear my grandma yell. I let out a chuckle because she hasn't changed at all. I make my way towards their direction, careful not to accidently photobomb any other family reunions. When I reach them I  give them both a big hug. 

 

“It's nice to see you, Gammy.”  I say sincerely. It's been a long time since I've seen them and I really did miss them. I just usually don't have time to visit them. I probably would try to visit more often if it wasn't for my dad. Speaking of… 

 

“Where's Dad?” I know it's pointless asking. I guess a small part of me was hoping that maybe he would want to show up just to welcome me. 

 

My mom just gives me a sad smile. “Oh you know how your dad is. Always working.” 

 

I just nod my head because yeah I know exactly how he is. 

 

“Nevermind your father. Where's your girl at?” My grandma asks excitedly. 

 

Oh, yeah. Where is ‘my girl’ at? I turn around back at the plane and see her stepping out looking annoyed at the guy in front of her who is taking up the whole staircase. 

 

“There she is” I point at her. 

 

The look on my Grandma's face is priceless. She looks somewhere between shocked and unimpressed. At first I don't understand why. I mean Christen is definitely not bad to look at. But I guess now that I get to actually see what she's wearing as she's walking towards us, I can see why. She is wearing a black business like dress with her Gucci shades on and five inch heels. Just from looking at her you'd guess that she's a stuck up, spoiled, know it all. It also doesn't help that she looks pissed at the fact that she even has to carry two of her luggage bags. Because god forbid that she actually has to carry her  _ own _ luggage like  _ normal _ people. 

 

At least she manages to put on a smile when she reaches us. 

 

I clear my throat. “Guys this is Christen. Christen this is my mom, Cindy.  And this is Gammy.” Right away my mom goes in for a big hug but she stops when she realizes that Christen has her hand stuck out for a handshake. My mom looks down in embarrassment that she got rejected from a hug, but still shyly shakes Christen's hand and gives a smile. 

 

“Now,” my grandma starts. “Do you prefer being called Christen or Satan’s Mistress? We've heard it both ways.” I look at my grandma with wide eyes. I know she has no filter but geez way to throw me under the bus, Gammy. I look over at Christen who looks awkward and slightly hurt.

 

I put my hand on her arm and whisper “She's just joking.” She hesitantly smiles and pretends to laugh along. 

 

“Um I want to say thank you. For letting me be part of this weekend.” 

 

My mom gives a huge smile and waves her hand. “Of course! We're glad to have you” 

 

“Alright now let's get you two back to the fort. Follow me the truck is this way.” Gammy says while rolling her eyes at Christen. Haha same ,Gammy.

 

_____________________________________

 

**CHRISTEN'S POV**

 

We've been driving around in the truck for five minutes now. Tobin's grandma and mom have been talking in the front seats the whole ride which makes me happy because I want to do as little talking as I can. Tobin has been pretty quiet. I notice that she has been looking out the window just watching all the little stores we pass by. Since there's nothing to do, I decide to do the same. It only takes about three seconds for me to realize that I just saw the same name on the stores we passed twice. It takes another second for me realize that  _ all  _  the stores we're passing have the same name on them. Heath. That looks really famili-. 

 

Wait a minute. I turn my head and look down at Tobin's leather satchel she is wearing. Hooked to one of the pockets is a ring with a tag that is carved ‘T. Heath.’ No way.

 

“Tobin..” I whisper but she doesn't hear. 

“Tobin.” I whisper louder. She still doesn't look so I resort to just smacking her hard on the arm. 

 

She slightly jumps because I just shook out of her little daze. When she realizes what happened, she glares and says “Don't do that again.” 

 

I choose to ignore what she said and tilt my head outside. “You didn't tell me about all your family business, honey.” I'm a little mad because this is definitely something I should have known as her fiance. 

 

Tobin's grandma just chuckles in the front and says “She was probably just being modest, dear.” I nod my head pretending that this isn't that big of a deal. So I guess the Heath’s own a lot (it looks like most) of stores here. From convenience, to clothes, to leather bags. I wonder why she never mentioned it. 

 

Less than a minute later, the car stops and I look out the window expecting to see the hotel that Tobin made reservations for but instead I see that we're at a dock. 

 

I turn to Tobin “What are we doing? Shouldn't we be checking into our hotel?” I guess I spoke a little louder than I meant to because Tobin's mom answers instead. 

 

“Oh, we canceled your reservation. Family doesn't stay at a hotel. You're gonna stay in our home.”

 

“Oh wow!” I exclaim.  _ Kill me. _ “That's great! So great.” 

 

Everybody climbs out of the car and heads to the trunk to get the luggages out. Tobin carries three of my bags and her mom carries the only two Tobin brought. I'm left to carry the last two bags that are mine and when I start walking, I begin to stumble on the little pebbles that are on the ground. At one point I let out a little shriek because I thought I was gonna trip, which causes everyone to look back at me. 

 

“Tobin!”  Cindy yells. “Help her with those.”

Thank you, Cindy. At least someone understands the struggle I'm in right now. 

 

“I'd love to, but she won't let me do anything. She insists on doing everything by herself.” Tobin says with a smirk and a wink in my direction. I scowl at her. I'll get you back for this one, Heath. 

 

After a lot of struggling, I finally catch up to the ‘Heath clan’ and see that Cindy and ‘Gammy’ are inside of a motor boat labeled ‘J. H’ . Tobin is throwing down all the luggage for Cindy to catch and load inside. She starts to reach for the two bags that I still have clutched in my hands. She throws the first one which Cindy catches easily and then she throws the second one. She looks at me when she throws it and it  flies too far to the left for Cindy to catch.  It splashes in the water and I cringe thinking of how much that Louis Vuitton bag cost. 

 

“Oops.” Tobin says disheartenedly. “Five second rule.” She shrugs

 

Cindy reaches in the water and pulls out my bag with a thumbs up letting me know that nothing bad happened to it. Except for that fact that it fell in ice cold water. 

 

I watch as Tobin starts to climb down the wooden ladder to get from ground level to the dock level. When she looks up at me expectantly, it hits me that I'm gonna have to climb down too.

 

“I am not getting on that boat.” No way. I  _ hate _ boats. 

 

Tobin shrugs her shoulders. “Fine. You don't have to. See you in a few days.” She turns around and takes a step in the opposite direction. 

 

“You know I can't swim.” I hiss out.

 

She turns around and looks at me incredulously. “Hence, the boat.”

 

I take a deep breath. You can do this. You can do this. I grab on to the wooden posts of the ladder and turn my body around so I can start climbing down. Of course since I'm wearing heels, it takes longer for me than it did for everyone else. And to make it worse, Tobin's sarcastic comments aren't helping me concentrate on which step is next. 

 

“Cmon.” Tobin says. “Looking good, Boss. Take your time, though.” 

 

I think I'm on the last three or four steps but by the time I'm getting pretty close, I hear Tobin walk closer to me. 

 

“Here I'll give you a hand.” I turn my head over my shoulder and see she has a smirk. “Let me just help you by putting my hands here .” Then next thing I know I feel her hands grabbing on to my butt so she can keep me steady instead of wobbling. 

 

“Hands off my ass!” I whisper yell at her. “Off!” I hear her chuckle before she let's go and takes a step back. I redirect my focus on the steps. Three more. Two. One. Finally. 

 

I straighten out my skirt and huff out in frustration. I roll my eyes when I hear clapping from behind me. 

 

“Congratulations.” Tobin deadpans. “I'm a hundred years old now.”

 

____________________________________

 

So getting on the boat was much more harder than climbing down the ladder. Tobin had to strap me in a life vest because I was freaking out too much thinking about what would happen if I fell in the water.  The boat ride so far has been borderlining awkward and uncomfortable. No one really wants to talk and I'm not sure if it's because I'm here or if it's because nobody knows what to say. Maybe a little bit of both.

 

Cindy is in charge of the steering and when she slows down the speed of the boat and says , “Here we are. We're home.” I can't help the words that fall out of my mouth. 

 

_ “That  _ is your home?” I don't say it offensively. Just shocked. I wasn't expecting a large, nice looking house. It could probably pass off as a small mansion.

 

“Who are you people?” I mumble under my breath. 

 

When Cindy parks the boat and ties it to the dock, we all climb out. I pick up my two bags and follow everyone up the trail to the house. I turn around and slow my pace to poke Tobin on the shoulder and whisper so that no one else can hear. 

 

“Why did you tell me you were poor?” 

 

“I never said I was poor.”

 

“Well you never told me you were rich.”

 

“I'm not rich. My parents are rich.” 

 

I roll my eyes. Why is she so difficult. “Okay, you know what? That's something only rich people say.” I think she was going to respond but before she got the chance someone else beats her to it. 

 

“Tobin! Hey! Welcome home!” I look up and see a random couple walking in the front of their lawn waving at us. .  Tobin gives a small wave with furrowed eyebrows looking confused. 

 

“Mom, what is this?” She looks a little bit mad. 

 

“Nothing. Just a little welcoming party. Is that a crime?” She asks innocently.

 

“It's just 50 of our closest friends and neighbors.” Gammy pipes in. 

 

“A party?” I grumble out to no one in particular. 

 

“Yeah, I guess so.” Tobin responds. Now she looks exhausted and drained, like she'd rather be anywhere but here. 

 

I continue walking up the path, taking me time to look around at all the trees and all the extraordinary details of the house. It really is beautiful. 

 

“Cmon. Let's go. My grandma is walking faster than you. Put your back into it.” Tobin interrupts. I ignore her, already getting used to her sarcastic jabs, and observe as much as I can. When I reach the front porch and get a glimpse of everyone that is inside, I take a breather. 

 

I got this.You got this.  It's just a party. I mean what could happen at a party? 

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I at least doing okay?


	5. Chapter   Cinco

**TOBIN’S POV**

 

“It was so nice to meet you, Christen. Welcome to Sitka.”  One my old friends from highschool says after having a short introduction with her. 

 

So far things have been going good. A lot of these people I almost forgot about, but it's nice to see them now that I realize how much I've missed them. There's been quite a handful of people just coming up to me for a quick ‘hey! Its nice to see you!’ and it's a bit refreshing to be welcomed.

 

“Why didn't you tell me you were some kind of Alaskan Kennedy?” Christen rushes out after being introduced to yet another old friend of mine. 

 

“How could I? We were in the middle of talking about you for the past three years.” I roll my eyes. And is it just me or has anyone else noticed that I've been rolling my eyes  _ way _ more than I usually do. 

 

“Okay. You know what? Timeout. This bickering needs to stop.” She sighs out and puts her fingers to her temples to massage them. “People need to think that we're in love. So let's….” She motions her hands dramatically in the air. 

 

“Okay. Yeah sure, no problem. I can pretend to be the doting fiancé. That's easy.” I smile sweetly at her. “But for you, it's gonna require that you stop snacking on children while they dream.” 

 

“Very funny.” She says unimpressed. She takes a quick glance around the lounge room that we're currently in. “When are you going to tell them we're engaged?” 

 

“I'll pick the right moment.” I say firmly. I know eventually I'm going to have to break ‘The Big News’ but I want to hold that back as last minute as possible. The later the better. At least in this case.

 

I put my arm over Christen's shoulder and start to walk us in the direction of the kitchen. “Cmon let's go-”

 

“Hey Tobin!” I stop mid step and turn around to see my 10th grade teacher standing there. 

 

“Ms. Castro.” I say happily. “How are you? Its nice to see you.” I turn to her husband who is standing beside her. “Its nice to see you too, Mr. Castro.” I say politely. “This is Christen.” I place my hand on her back to guide her more closer so they can meet her.

 

“Hello, nice to meet you.” She shakes their hands politely. 

 

“Pleasure.” Mr Castro greets. He turns to me and claps his hands. “So. I always wanted to know, what does a book editor do?”  

 

“Oh. I'm not -”

 

“That's an excellent question, Luis.” A deep voice booms. 

 

I cringe already recognizing the sounds of heavy footsteps coming up behind me. 

 

“Hello, Dad.” I acknowledge with a small nod once he steps in front of us. 

 

“Tobin.” He stares at me for a long time. No one says anything, just letting the awkward moment happen. He then turns his gaze to Christen and stares her up and down with judgment written all over his face. I don't know why I do it, but my instinct is to snake my arm around her waist and pull her closer to me. 

 

“This must be Christy.”

 

“Christen.” I grit out. 

 

This is the first time I've seen Christen look intimidated. I'm not sure what I was expecting but having two of the most stubborn people I know standing less than seven feet apart from each other was not a smart thing to do. They both seem to have a small stare down of their own before Christen sticks her hand out. “Jeff. Pleasure to meet you.” They share the most firm handshake I've ever seen. And trust me, I've seen a lot of firm handshakes with all those business meetings I've been dragged into. 

 

A cough brings our attention back to the Castros who seem to be having a debate on whether to leave or not. 

 

“Anyways,” my dad let's out. “Why don't you tell us what a book editor does? Besides taking writers out to lunch and traveling.” 

 

“Now that sounds fun.” Mr. Castro says. “No wonder you like being an editor.” He points at me. 

 

“No, Luis.” My father gets out quickly. As if he had been waiting his whole life to say this. Wouldn't surprise if he has. “Tobin's not an editor. She's an editor's assistant.” 

 

He looks at both of us smiling innocently. “Christy here is the editor.”

 

“Christen.” I bark out. My dad is really starting to  _ piss _ me off and he's only been here for three minutes. 

 

Mr. and Mrs. Castro look shocked to hear that. Probably not expecting me, the daughter of someone like my father, to be an assistant out of all things. 

 

Mrs. Castro makes eye contact with Christen.  “So you're actually….” 

 

“Tobin's boss. Yeah.” Christen finishes. 

 

“Well. How bout that.” Mr Castro thinks out loud. 

 

And then the tense quietness is back. My dad keeps giving these judgmental glances towards Christen and I glare at him in return. 

 

“I think we need to find your mother and catch up with her.” Mrs. Castro says, probably just trying to find any reason to get as far away as my dad and me as possible. She pulls her husband along as they walk in the opposite direction. 

 

“I'm just going to go get myself something to drink.” Christen says slowly. As if trying to see if I'm okay with her leaving us two alone. I release my hold around her waist to let her know that it's fine with me , and let her walk away towards the kitchen. 

 

“That's a hell of a first impression, dad.” I say once she's out of earshot. 

 

“What the hell, Tobin?” He says angrily. “You show up after all this time with the woman you hated for the past three years, and now she's your girlfriend?” 

 

I shut my eyes already accepting the fact that this arguing thing is gonna be normal for the next four days. “Look,” I sigh out. “We just got here. Can we wait two seconds before we throw the kitchen sink at each other?” 

 

My dad scoffs. “Just never pictured you for a girl who slept her way to the middle.” 

 

_ What the hell? What is wrong with this man.  _ I can't believe he has the fucking nerve. 

“I'll have you know that that woman in there,” I point in the direction Christen had walked in. “ is one of the  _ most _ respected editors.” Technically I'm telling the truth. She really is one of the most, and in my opinion the best, editor I've ever met. 

 

“She's your meal ticket.”

 

“No.” I hiss firmly. “She's not my meal ticket, _ dad. _ She's my fiancé.” Well so much for waiting last minute. But I'm sure as hell not gonna let my dad talk about Christen like that. He has no right. 

 

His shakes his head and scoffs again. However, when he sees my serious face, he widens his eyes. “What did you say?” He asks in disbelief. 

 

“You heard me. I'm getting married.” 

 

___________________________________

 

**CHRISTEN'S POV**

 

So maybe I shouldn't have left Tobin by herself. It just looked like her and her dad had some things they needed to discuss. I do kind of feel bad though. Now I feel sort of loss without her by my side , because I'm not sure where to go and I don't even know anybody here. 

 

Soon I just find myself standing at the table with all the little deserts and start picking away at the random assorted foods. 

 

“Hello!” I hear a cheery voice say behind me. I internally groan because although I think Tobin's family and friends are sweet and nice (with the exception of her dad), I really just want it to be quiet for a while. I turn around expecting to see some sort of cousin or something like that. But I'm surprised when I see a  _ very _ bubbly catering waitress instead. She looks fairly young, probably around my age and has a ton of freckles spread all over her face. 

 

“How are you?” She asks enthusiastically. 

 

“Good, good. Thank you.” I'm really trying to express my nice side because even though this is all fake, I do want Tobin's relatives to at least tolerate me. 

 

“Care for some hors d'oeuvres?” She pushes the platter of food she's balancing with her right hand towards my face. 

 

“I'm fine. Thank you very much.” I decline nicely. 

 

“Are you sure? It's a tradition.”

 

I take a look at the food she's offering and crinkle my nose. “I'm not a fish person.”

 

“You'll like it.” She says confidently. Wow this girl is very persistent. I take a quick glance at her nametag . “You're very sweet, Kelley. But no thanks.” 

 

She sets the platter on the table and picks up a small appetizer in her hand. She takes a step closer and mumbles “I think… If you'll just taste it…” 

 

I dont even know what happened, but next thing I know I have fish stuffed in my mouth. Did she just? Oh my gosh. She just stuffed fish in my mouth. What the-

 

Honestly, I'm not even mad. I think I'm just too drained of energy to even be mad at her. And I actually kind of think this is funny. I've never met anyone bold enough to do this, that's for sure. “Uh… Thank you so much?” I mumble out, unsure of what my reaction should be. You can barely understand me because I still have the fish half sticking out. I'm about to ask her for a napkin but before I can get the chance, I hear Tobin's voice yelling through the house.

 

“Ladies and gentlemen. May I have your attention. I have a very important announcement to make. Christen and I are getting married.” 

 

Before I can even stop myself, I spit out my food not expecting Tobin to just randomly blurt it out to everyone. My eyes widen when I realize that I spit out the fish all over Kelley and her white shirt. “Oh my gosh.” I cover my mouth with my hands in shock and also to hold back a small laugh. “I'm so sorry.” I quickly say. 

 

“It's okay.” She says weakly. She picks at her shirt. “It's wash and wear.”

 

“Honey? Where you at?” I hear Tobin's voice calling from the living room. I quickly wipe my mouth and give another apologetic glance to Kelley. Then i follow Tobin's voice to the large room. 

 

“There she is.” She says loudly. She waves me over with her hands and smiles. “Come on down here, pumpkin.” I hesitantly take the last final steps so I'm standing right next to her. “Look at her.” She says to no one in particular. I look around to see people looking at us in awe. “Just look at her, ladies and gentlemen.” She says while staring in my eyes and placing her arm around my waist.

 

It's quiet for a second, but only for a second. Then everybody starts clapping loudly and people are shouting “Congratulations, Tobin!” and “Time to celebrate!”

 

“Thank you. Thank you ,everybody. Now, let's get some champagne!” And everybody cheers again . 

 

“So that was your idea of a perfect timing to tell them we're engaged?” I ask sarcastically once everybody's excitement had died down. 

 

She looks at me and opens her mouth to say something but instead her eyes widen as she notices something behind me. Or I guess someone. 

 

“Tobin. Hi.” I hear an extremely raspy voice say as a woman with piercing blue eyes comes to step beside me. 

 

“Alex? Oh my god. Hey. Hi. Wow. How are you doing? I didn't know you were going to be here.” Tobin rambles. Her eyes are still wide as if she's seeing something unbelievable but they're filled with excitement. 

 

“Your mom probably wanted it to be a surprise … So surprise.” She says with a wink and a playful smile. I take a moment to stare at her and notice that she's also around the same age as Tobin and I. 

 

When I look up at her face , I notice that she's staring Tobin in the eyes who's also staring at her back. There's definitely some type of tension going on here. But not the bad kind. 

 

“Right..” Tobin mumbles. Still not taking her eyes away from this ‘Alex’ lady. 

 

When I clear my throat, the lady with the blue eyes seems to snap back to reality. “Oh I'm sorry! I'm being completely rude. Hi.” She says with her raspy voice and sticks out her hand. 

 

“Oh man I'm sorry,” Tobin says. “This is my ex, Alex.” 

 

“Oh. Wow!” Is the only thing I can think of to say. I take her hand and shake it, making sure to make it extra firm just so she knows to be careful around ‘my fiancé’. 

 

She retracts her hand and stands awkwardly between the both of us. “Congratulations, you guys.” 

 

“Thank you.”

“Thank you.”

 

“So, did I miss the story?”

 

“What story?” Tobin and I ask at the same time.

 

“Of how you proposed.” Alex says loudly, causing everybody in the livingroom to hear. 

“How a person proposes says a lot about their character.” Gammy pipes in from the sofa where she has been lounging since our arrival. 

 

“I would actually love to hear the story, Tobin.” Cindy intervenes. “Would you tell us?’ 

 

Random relatives start mumbling their agreements too. 

 

“You know what?” Tobin speaks. “Christen actually  _ loves _ telling the story. So I'm just gonna go ahead and let her do that.” She pats my shoulder and makes her way over to the couch and plops down next to her mom. Leaving me standing with everybody watching. 

 

“Wow. Where do I even begin.” I nervously chuckle. I quickly try to think of all the love stories I had to read and try to find a believable proposal story. 

 

Wait a minute. Bingo. Payback for the Loui Vuitton bag. 

 

“Well.. Tobin and I were about to celebrate our first anniversary together.” I start off. 

 

“And I knew she'd been itching to ask me to marry her.” I look up at her and smirk. “And she was scared. Like a … Like a little tiny bird.” I put my fingers in a little pinch gesture to show how ‘tiny’ she was acting. “So I started leaving little hints here and there. Because I knew she'd never have the guts to ask me. But…” 

 

“That not exactly how it happened.” Tobin interrupts , glaring at me for making her sound sensitive. 

 

“No?” I ask

 

“No. I mean, I noticed all your hints.” She plays along. She then turns to our small little audience that we had gathered.  “But what I was really worried about was that she might find this little box -”

 

“Oh! The decoupage box that she made where she had taken the time to cut out little pictures of herself and glued them all over the box. Yes, it was so beautiful.” I place my hands over my chest trying my best to make it look like I'm remembering the greatest moment of my life. Tobin looks mad again that I managed to take control of the story. “So I opened that cute adorable box, and out fluttered these tiny, little hand-cut heart confettis. And once they cleared, I looked down, and saw the most beautiful, big-” 

 

“Fat nothing.” Tobin Interrupts yet again. People in the background gasp, not expecting that ‘plot twist’. 

 

“No ring.” Tobin continues. 

 

“What? No ring?” Cindy asks shocked. 

 

“No. But inside that box…. Underneath all that crap.” She glares “There was a little handwritten note with a hotel address, time , and date.” 

 

“Real non delicate type stuff.” She adds. “Anyway, naturally, Christen thought-”

 

“I thought she was cheating on me.” I take control once again. “But I went to that hotel and I pounded on the door. But the door was already unlocked.” I take a dramatic pause and see that everyone is really invested in this story, nodding their heads urging me to go on. 

 

“And as I swung open that door, There she was…” 

 

“Standing.” Tobin tries to save herself last minute. 

 

“Kneeling.” I say louder. “In a bed full of roses. In a tuxedo. And she was choking back soft , soft sobs. And when she finally caught her breath. She said -”

 

“ ‘Christen, will you marry me?’ And she said ‘yep’. The end. Who's hungry?” Tobin finishes quickly. 

 

“Wow…” Cindy says. “That is… That is quite the story.”

 

“Oh, Tobin!” Gammy exclaims. “You are so sensitive!” 

 

“Hand cut confetti?” Someone questions from the crowd. Somewhere in the back you can hear a group of women release an “aww”. which causes me to smirk because mission accomplished. 

 

“Hey! Let's see a kiss from you two cuties!” One of Tobin's uncles yells from the back. My eyes widen. Oh no. 

 

“Yeah, kiss her!”

 

“No. Come on.” Tobin says, trying to get out of it. When everybody keeps yelling she reluctantly gets up. “Okay, alright.” Then everybody starts to cheer. 

 

She walks up to me and takes my hand in hers. “Okay, are you guys ready?” She asks. “”Here we go.” She lifts our clasped hand and brings it to her lips so she kisses the back of my hand. 

 

“What is that? Kiss her like you mean it!” 

 

“Kiss her! Kiss her! Kiss her!” The room starts to chant. 

 

Tobin looks at me with apologetic eyes. I sigh and nod my head knowing that there is no getting out of this. “Okay! Okay, all right.”

She dives her head lower and stiffly places her lips on mine. Its quick. I barely even have time to react or feel it before she's already retreating.  

 

“Tobin!” Gammy chastises. “Give her a real kiss.”

 

“Just do it.” I say. Tobin looks at me shocked. “Just do it to get it over with.” I whisper so no one else can hear. 

 

Tobin nods her head. “Okay.” She mumbles. She places her hand on my cheek and guides my face closer to mine. My breath catches in my throat when I realize how close we are. This time, everything happens in slow motion. When her lips touch mine, it's almost exactly how the first kiss was. No one moved and we both had our eyes open. Both of us were probably too scared to do anything. But when I remember that there is a room full of people that think we're in love, I close my eyes and add a little more force. Tobin inhales sharply and starts to move her lips. I move my lips in sync with hers and turn my head a little. “Mmm” I hum out because this kiss just went 0 to 100 real quick. I place my hands on her hip to steady myself but then suddenly the room is filled with applause and cheers. 

 

I quickly pull away from Tobin and jerk my hand back.

 

I gulp and smile warily at all of her friends and family. When I turn back to look at Tobin,  I see her dazed over honey brown eyes and that small smile placed on her lips, and I only have one thought. 

 

_ Shit. _

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Feedback would be pretty cool (:  
> But if not, then that's cool too


	6. Chapter seis

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry I haven't updated in awhile! But everything is all good now and I should be back on track. I know this chapter is a little short but bare with me por favor :)

**TOBIN’S POV**

 

So I think it's safe to say that what happened in the living room was weiiird. What's even more weird is that Christen is actually a pretty good ki-

 

Woaahh, okay . Let's slow it down there, Tobin. Obviously I'm just a little out of it. I'm pretty drained, and this party was great and all, but it was too much for me at times. 

 

After our story, everybody just went back to enjoying the party. Christen and I spent the rest of the day talking to old friends and introducing her.  It was actually really nice to have someone with me so I didn't have to be completely alone with my family. And it turns out that Christen is kind of funny and sometimes we can get along. Sometimes. 

 

I still don't like her though. 

 

Probably the opposite actually. Now I don't like her  _ even more _ . For pretending to be nice to my family, and acting sweet, and planting that amazing k- 

_ God dammit  _ Tobin _.  _

 

Whatever _.  _ This doesn't mean anything. I think I'm still a little shocked that Alex is here. I was  _ not _ expecting to see her today. Or even during this trip, so i think just I'm subconsciously thinking about the kiss with Christen to try to forget about her. Yeah, that's gotta be it. Except I don't know why I'd try to forget Alex. Especially after tonight. She looked so amazing, and is it possible for someone's eyes to get bluer? Because wow. 

 

After seeing her once, I was actually hoping that we'd run into her again during the party, but she seemed to disappear. And the party ended about an hour ago. 

 

Unfortunately for me, that hour was spent cleaning up as much as i could, because Christen oh so graciously volunteered to clean, which ultimately made me look bad. My mom made me do all the work, while Christen just followed me, occasionally telling me that I missed a spot.  After around an hour I told everyone I was exhausted, and it was time to head to bed.   

 

So now Christen and I are following my mom and Gammy to the guest rooms , so we can settle in and unpack since we didn't get a chance to do it when we arrived.  

 

I already know what and where all the rooms are. That's if they haven't changed anything since the last time I visited. But because Christen has never been here, she's getting the “Heath House Tour” by Gammy. I don't really bother paying attention. It isn't till we stop at the first room on the second floor that I start to tune in. 

 

“So here we are. This is your bedroom.” 

 

I step through the doorway and take a look around. Just like I remembered. There's one huge king sized bed , assorted with fluffy blankets and pillows. The fireplace is on the wall directly opposite of the bed ,and throughout the room there are random wooden framed family pictures.  Everything looks cozy and perfect. 

 

“Wow.  This is beautiful.” Christen gasps. I think she really is stunned. I would be too if I saw this room for the first time. It looks like a page from one of those home magazines. Better Homes has nothing compared to this house. 

 

She goes to the middle of the room and does a slow 360, trying to see as much of the room as she can. When she realizes that all three of us are staring, she clears her throat. “Sorry” she mumbles shyly. “So. Where is Tobin staying?” 

 

My mom laughs at this. “Honey, we know that you guys obviously share the same bed at home. She's sleeping here with you.” 

 

_ Great. _

 

“Oh.” Christen says surprised. “That's wonderful. Cause we love to snuggle. Don't we, Tobin?” She asks with a sweet tone, even though her face says a whole other story. 

 

“Yeah. We're huge cuddlers. She's my little cuddle monkey.” I take a step closer to her and pull her to my side so I can prove my point. 

 

I'm about to wrap this up and thank my mom for showing us to our room, but stop when I feel something weird rub against my leg. 

 

“Oh my gosh! Who is this?” I yell excitedly. I can't help my excitement. 

 

“That's Ashlee. We just found her behind a bush one day and decided to take her with us. She's still trying to learn how to adapt inside a house.” Gammy says. 

 

I pick up the small tricolored kitten from the floor. She had to be at least six months old. 

 

“Aww you're so cute.” I whisper. I pet behind her ear and she starts purring. I'm a  _ huge _ animal lover. Dogs, birds, cats. Anything, really. 

 

I turn slightly to see if maybe Christen wants to see the kitten, but as soon as Ashlee sees her, she hisses loudly. Christen takes a couple steps back, looking slightly scared. 

 

“No. Bad, Ashlee.” My mom chastises. “I'm sorry , dear.” She says to Christen, who still looks scared and is eyeing the kitten warily. 

 

I sigh loudly. Of course my  _ fiance _ would be scared of a little kitten. I reluctantly put her down on the floor, and stand up, making sure I don't accidently step on her tail. 

 

“Oh by the way, make sure you keep her indoors. She always tries to go outside, but she's too small and the hawks might get her.” My mom says. 

 

I nod my head. “We can't have that, can we?” I coo out to Ashlee who is playing with the strings of a blanket hanging off a chair.

 

“Enough of this cat talk.” Gammy interrupts. “Listen, if you need extra towels or other things, you can find them in there.” She points to a wooden wardrobe. She walks up to it and opens the door. “And if you get cold tonight , use this.” She throws a warm looking blanket at Christen , who barely catches it. 

 

“It has special powers.” My grandma smirks. 

“Oh, what kind of special powers?” Christen asks, sounding intrigued.  _ Shouldn't have asked that.  _

 

“I call it the babymaker.” My grandma says simply. “But..  I'm not sure how it's gonna work out now since both you are women. I'm sure you can still put it to use, if you know what I mean.” Gammy winks. 

 

_ Eww. That's got to be the grossest thing.  _

 

Christen's eyes widen. And she stiffly pulls the blanket away from her body. “Okay,” she laughs awkwardly. “Well then, we'll be sure to be … Careful with this one. I'm just gonna place it over here.” She throws it on the lounge chair that's next to the bed. 

 

“Anyways, we better call it a night. Its pretty late..” I say, so I can finally get the sleep I've been waiting for. 

 

“Yes, thank you so so much for the evening. It was amazing.” Christen says to both my mom and Gammy with a genuine smile. 

 

“Of course. You're welcome. Good night, dears.” 

 

“Goodnight , guys.” My grandma follows my mom out the door , but before she closes it, she turns around and looks at the blanket she gave us. Then she looks back at us,  smirks, and shuts the door. 

 

Oh my gosh, Gammy. 

 

“Sorry about her. That's just how she is.” I say as I feel warmth spread through my cheeks because of what she was implying. 

 

“it's okay.” Christen replies with a blush of her own. 

 

“So … “ she clears her throat. “You haven't been home in a long time.” Christen says cautiously. 

 

_ Oh no. Not this talk. _

 

“Yeah, well I haven't had a whole lot of vacation time the past three years.” I snap instinctively. Home is a touchy subject. 

 

“Oh, stop complaining.” She sighs tiredly. 

 

And then it's silent. 

 

Well I was not expecting that. Usually, Christen  _ always  _ has something smart to reply back. But this time she just sounded..  worn out?  

 

Geez, I feel like a jerk now. Do I apologize? No, right? Because she has done more worse things to me and now all of a sudden she can't handle a little snarky reply?

 

But maybe she really was trying to get on my good side and I just messed it up. Ugh I don't know. Just don't apologize. 

 

So now it's awkard thanks to me. No one says anything for the next fen minutes. We both just silently unpack all of our things and put them away in our drawers. 

 

“How is the sleeping situation gonna work?” Christen eventually asks.

 

Oh thank goodness. Finally, noise.

 

“Well I'll take the left side and you can take the ri-” 

 

“I'm not gonna share a bed with you.”

 

“Fine you take the floor and I'll take both sides.” 

 

“You just think you're so funny don't you.” 

 

“I would like to say I am, yeah. Thanks for noticing,  _ sweetheart. _ ”

 

“I'm taking the bed. You can have the floor.” 

 

“Then why would you even ask what the sleeping arrangement was gonna be like, Christen?”

 

“So I can make it clear that I was getting the bed. So we're clear, right?” 

 

I grit my teeth. “Fine. Whatever. We're clear.”

 

“Good.” Christen smiles. “Now since I'm you're fiance and all, that means I  _ have _ to be somewhat nicer to you. So I'll give you three blankets.” She goes to the wardrobe and fishes all of the blankets out onto the bed. She picks two of the thinest from the pile and then grabs the ‘special’ blanket form the chair she threw it on earlier. 

 

“Here you go.” She says as she dumps them on the floor on the end of the bed. 

 

“Wow, Christmas already?” I reply sarcastically. 

 

“Ha. Ha.” she laughs dryly. “I'm gonna go change.” She picks up her pajamas and starts to make her way to the bathroom. “I suggest while I'm getting ready, you make your bed. And maybe while you're at it, you can think of jokes that are actually funny.” And with that she slams the door. 

 

_ Ouch. _ My jokes are funny.

 

Just not as funny as her social life. 

 

See? I don't know what she's talking about. 

 

___________________________________

 

It's probably like 30 minutes later when Christen pokes her head through the bathroom door. “Don't look, okay?” 

 

I’m already laying down on the floor when she says this, so all I have to do is just look up at the ceiling. “Okay.” 

 

“Are your eyes closed?” She asks. 

 

“Completely.” I answer, even though they're wide open. 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Yes, Christen. I'm sure my own eyes are closed.” I say as I continue to stare at the ceiling. 

 

I hear the door open slowly, and from the corner of my eye I see her figure take a step outside the bathroom. Then, once she realizes that I'm not really looking, she makes a run to the bed. When she runs past me, I turn my head slightly to look at her and let out a laugh. 

 

“Those are the pajamas you decided to bring to Alaska?” I chuckle. She's definitely going to be freezing tonight. She's wearing silky purple short shorts and a flimsy little tank top. 

 

“Yes, because I was supposed to be alone In a hotel.” she snaps.

 

Nope. I'm having none of it. So now she thinks she can go back to sassy replies all of sudden? 

 

“Can we just go to sleep?” I ask annoyed. Now I'm the one too tired to keep up with the bickering. 

 

“Fine.” 

 

It's quiet for about five minutes. And just as I'm getting comfortable enough to drift off,  Christen sighs loudly. “Well it looks like I won't be able to get much sleep with the sun streaming in.” 

 

Oh yeah. I forgot that Christen isn't used to the Alaskan weather. So even though it's 11:40 pm, the sun is still set as if it was 12:00 in the afternoon.

 

I reach for the remote control on the coffee table and press the button that automatically closes the curtains to all the windows in the room so it's dark inside. 

 

“Thank you.”

 

__________________________________

  
  


“Christen.” 

 

“Christen.” I repeat

 

“Christen.” I say louder. 

 

Nope. Nothing. I sigh.

 

I woke up a couple of minutes ago because I had to get something to drink. When I came back, I noticed that Christen was shivering a lot. I've been trying to get her to wake up but it doesn't seem to be working. I could shake her, but I also don't want to scare her. 

 

I knew those pajamas were a terrible idea. I go back to my ‘bed’ on the floor and pick up the warmest blanket out of my three. I don't mind, it's not like I'm freezing. I walk over to her bed and carefully put it over her. She already has two blankets on her , but I guess that's still not enough to keep her warm. I watch as instantly her face seems more relaxed and comfortable. The crinkles that were on her forehead smooth, and her lips that were slightly trembling are now at ease.  She let's out a satisfied hum which makes me laugh. 

 

“Maybe now you can shut up with your shivering.” I chuckle to no one. 

 

I start to turn, but something draws me back to her. I stare at her peaceful face for a minute longer before going back to the floor to get some sleep. 

 

_ What am I doing?  _

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes I do have a tumblr  
> Buuuuut it's not a uswnt blog. My main one i'm on most the time isn't. But I do have a uswnt tumblr (kinda) I'm just not on it a lot. So I mean if you still want it … Let me know? 
> 
> Other than that I think we're good to go (:
> 
> Feedback is always appreciated!


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